CARSON, Calif. – Timothy Bradley put on a brutal and spectacular performance against possibly the most powerful and courageous opponent he's ever faced.

But Bradley trumped that courage after getting hurt in the first round, appeared to be out on his feet in the second, and finally, officially went down in the final 10 seconds of the fight

. But the champion kept standing in front of Ruslan Provodnikov and delivering blow after blow.

In the end, the judges gave Bradley the unanimous decision against the little-known but hard-punching Russian Provodnikov to keep his WBO welterweight title at the Home Depot Center.

Two judges scored it 114-113 and the third scored it 115-112 for Bradley.

"I fought a guy none of the top guys would fight," Bradley said of Provodnikov, whose nickname is "The Siberian Rocky".

"This guy will be a world champion."

Bradley was coming off a controversial victory against Manny Pacquiao in June that earned him the welterweight belt. Because many felt Pacquiao dominated the fight, there was controversy that surrounded Bradley.

Coming into this fight, Bradley said he was fighting for respect. And he appeared to get it by standing in the line of fire.

Kery Davis, the senior vice president of HBO said, "The will of Tim Bradley is a skill."

HBO's Max Kellerman said it was an honor to watch the fight. Promoter Bob Arum said this was a fight that boxing needed.

"He came out to prove a point and he paid the price," Bradley's trainer Joel Diaz said. "He was hurt every round."

After the fight, Bradley told HBO that he thought he got a concussion by the first round. When asked why he thought that, Bradley said, "Because I'm still dizzy."

"He's a very strong puncher,' Bradley (30-0, 12 KOs) said. "He steps into his punches and he hits very hard. It was a very difficult fight.

"I wanted to show him with the exchanges that I wasn't afraid of him. I didn't want to show any fear. I can brawl and box with anyone, but this was extremely difficult. I gave it everything I have. Every ounce I had, I gave. "

Provodnikov's trainer, Freddie Roach, felt like his boxer landed the harder punches and felt three rounds could have been scored 10-8, rather than the typical 10-9, to give Provodnikov the edge in a close fight.

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"We had a great referee, but I think he missed the knockdown in the first round and it could have cost us," Roach said. "Bradley had a lot of good rounds, but I thought we had three 10-8 rounds.

"I can't complain about a close loss. I thought we had the bigger punches and I thought we should get the edge."

In the first round, Bradley came out firing and was controlling the fight. But in the final minute, Provodnikov caught Bradley and staggered him. Bradley went down, but referee Pat Russell ruled it a slip.

In the second round, Provodnikov caught Bradley in the ropes and left him wobbly and woozy.

In the final seconds, Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs) overwhelmed Bradley and he fell to his knee for an official knockdown. It was only the third time in Bradley's career he's been knocked down. He was knocked down twice in a victory against Kendall Holt in 2009.

"He's much more powerful than Pacquiao," Bradley's trainer Joel Diaz said of Provodnikov. "He hits harder. They're shorter punches, more compact. Way more power than Pacquiao."

Although Provodnikov lost, Roach said a star was born. He's already starting to get offers from top boxers, including Brandon Rios.

At the end of the fight, Bradley told Provodnikov "Win or lose, you are a great warrior."

When Bradley beat Manny Pacquiao in June, he thought it would change his life. But Bradley had a hard time finding a fight. Part of it was Bradley's box office appeal.

Saturday night, there were 3,050 fans at the 8,000-seat tennis stadium inside the Home Depot Center, a far cry from the 14,000 who saw Bradley's win against Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in June.

But Arum feels the performance Bradley put on might change his career.

"It's not just winning the fight. You have to be an attraction," Arum said. "You have to give people some excitement. He sure as hell gave the people some excitement tonight."